A stylish, trendy and welcoming restaurant, Ristorante Biagio is worth trying, especially if you want to avoid Piccadilly Circus but don’t want to delve into expensive alternatives in Mayfair.

The Venue
Located on Piccadilly, a gentle stroll down from the tube station and a reassuring distance from the tourist traps that litter the Circus, Ristorante Biagio’s huge Italian flag and traditional trattoria frontage stick out like sore thumbs amidst famous British institutions such as Fortnum and Mason, The Ritz and Hatchards. Instead of looking out of place though, it acts as a nice injection of informality into the road’s grand history, hinting at the incredibly friendly welcome you’ll receive at the door and throughout your stay.

Once inside you can choose one of three attractive floors, decked out in Philippe Starck-influenced decor, so expect soft leather upholstery next to slate brick walls, stylized seating with Perspex legs offset by Zebrano laminated tables and vivid pictures contrasting with sedate, understated backgrounds. It’s a welcoming and pleasant place to dine that feels contemporary and vibrant, as well as being a nice antidote to the stuffiness of many of its neighbours.

The Atmosphere
Authentic Italian restaurants tend to be some of the friendliest places in which to eat so it’s little surprise that the genuine accents at Ristorante Biagio have a happy habit of engendering a relaxed and amiable atmosphere within the restaurant. Consequently there’s plenty of smiling faces that seem to consist of wealthy Mayfair types, sensible tourists, laptop wielding workers dining alone and even some that appear so comfortable with the staff that they must have been eating there for years. It can be serious too though, most notably when the food comes out, reflecting the fact that this place is a good quality venue just with a touch of Italian friendliness.

The Food
Ristorante Biagio’s menu harks from the Northern regions of Italy, with plenty of traditional combinations given some fresh little twists that, on paper, sound delicious. The reality is that whilst the prices are just about in keeping with the area they are expensive, and annoyingly some dishes aren’t quite as perfect as others, which when you’re paying upwards of £15 a main, can be frustrating.

Starters highlight this perfectly. The perfectly cooked sea bream fillets (£9.50) is fresh, seasoned immaculately and served on a summery tabbouleh of courgette, peppers, mushroom and onion and dressed with a rich gazpacho sauce that rounds the whole dish off with a nice bit of tomato depth. The Mediterranean prawns come in at a steep £12, and the promise of being pan fried in garlic butter seems a little disingenuous considering there is barely a hint of either garlic or butter. Its white wine and lemon sauce is similarly sheepish so all you’re left with for your twelve pounds are three very well cooked, fresh, plump and juicy prawns served on a perfectly acceptable salad.

Mains are a little more reliable, though again, not altogether perfect. A huge salmon fillet suffers only from a very slight over-crisping at the edges, otherwise it’s excellent, with fresh fish immaculately cooked and served on a fresh, lemony, light and creamy risotto cooked through with fresh herbs. Crispy ham gives everything a smoky depth that works really well with the lightness of the salmon and risotto in a dish that’s okay value at £16. The roasted rack of lamb (also £16) is similarly impressive, with big, fatty lamb chops served on a bed of braised cabbage and served in a port and thyme sauce. Although it is indeed very tasty, the chops aren’t quite evenly cooked and the port and thyme sauce just isn’t rich enough, it’s more like a well-flavoured gravy that fails to mirror the big flavours of the lamb.

Desserts follow the same theme, with a cracking creme caramel (£5.95) full of superbly balanced sweetness and cream, a perfectly torched, almost chewy top and a refreshing accompaniment of sliced strawberries, but the cream has unfortunately been affected by the oven being too hot. An amusingly wobbly vanilla panna cotta (£5.95) is faultless however, boasting an excellent depth of flavour, great silky soft texture and is joined on the plate by a superbly sweet berry sauce that sharpens things up a bit.

The Drink
Wine fans will be pleased with Biagio’s selection; it’s extensive and offers a good range of wines from across Italy, enabling diners to go from decent cheaper options up to those that will impress. A very good chianti from Case Sparse is great value at £15.95 for the bottle, serving up some deliciously quaffable notes of cherry, raspberry and plum, whilst if you’re looking to spend a little more then a ruby red merlot from Doc Frattina is well with a try at £22.50. Thanks to the fact that there’s a bar downstairs you can also pick up some very well made bespoke and classic cocktails, that at £6.95 represent excellent value for the area.

The Last Word
Despite tiny gripes with some of the food, Ristorante Biagio is certainly worth heading to if you like your Italian food to be that little bit more refined than most of the capital’s venues. Just don’t be shocked by the bill.

View®  Card offers venue information venue map view london review user reviews (6) image gallery (10) book a table